nanstey

I did enjoy the film, but not in the ways that I thought I would. I'm glad to know that the animators did thier research with people like Keller, Bourdain, Savoy, Adria and others, but at the same time, the story didn't quite fulfill my expectations. I do know that it was handed off to Brad Bird to direct halfway through production (when the story was lacking by Pixar standards) and that probably found it's way into the film overall. However, I did enjoy the scene with the movie's title dish (I thought it looked good, but I had no idea at the time that it was a Keller creation) and there were a number of really good scenes throughout the film. It just didn't feel consistent throughout. I was dissapointed by the fact that (spoiler alert) Linguini ends up becoming a waiter rather than a competent cook. It seems to go against the whole theme of "Anyone can cook" that is espoused in the film. At the same time, though, I will be looking to see what thte critical response in France is, given that waiters are held in much higher regard there than in the US. I will be buying the DVD the day of release, though, just to get what will surely be some awesome features.

Glad to hear it, Russ. I've just started your book, I like what I'm reading so far - anyway, I'll go ahead and link it, it is an interesting article, covering the idea of eating local from all angles. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/books/15...35c8&ei=5087%0A

In response to The Old Foodie, mine would have to be Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner's Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre by Christa Weil. There aren't any recipes, but it does have an alphabetical listing of a number of different weird, nasty and bizarre foods from around the world, such as dirt, human placenta, canned rotten herring (the more bulge the cans have, the better), botfly larvae, frozen raw meat, live monkey brain - it's quite a list. I don't know if it really breaks any new ground, but it's still a worthwhile read.